Do you know that there are many things you should keep in mind while choosing a career? This article talks about the common mistakes career changers make, and how you can avoid them to have a successful career.
Deep into their careers, most people realise that their jobs no longer bring them happiness and joy. Many people report not finding that same passion in their jobs again and see themselves not progressing in their careers either – in terms of getting a promotion or a raise. Tracing back into their steps, some realise the errors they made in their journey that led them to be in such a position.
It’s easy to make the wrong career choice. But how can you avoid making a mistake that will cost you your future? You can do that by knowing what things you should look for when choosing a job.
But do you have to first experience such dilemmas for yourself to understand where you went wrong in making your decisions?
Not at all!
How You Can Save Yourself From Making The Worst Career Mistake?
To reach the next level in your career and avoid making mistakes, ask yourself these questions:
Am I Getting Too Comfortable At Work?
If you’re getting too comfortable with work, then it’s probably time for you to bring about a change.
There are so many career myths that encourage people to make the mistake of staying in their comfort zone.. Some stay stagnant for years, not trying to update their skills and enhance their knowledge. And they reach a plateau in their career.
Most people find this complacent attitude motivated by the fear of being replaced. Instead of acquiring such a mindset, you can try:
Talking to your manager about other opportunities at work
Researching the industry’s latest developments and get involved
And remember what Chalene Johnson said - “get comfortable being uncomfortable, that’s how you break the plateau and reach the next level.”
Are My Career Decisions Being Heavily Influenced By Someone Else?
You are most likely to carry your career decisions with you all your life. While it’s nice to have family and friends’ opinions on board when making huge decisions, you should still be able to step back and reflect on the matter yourself. Using your intuition may save you from entering a path that is uncalled for.
You can try -
Taking some time out to gain insight, reflect on your growth, and reach self-awareness.
Building self-confidence and trusting your success
Is Money My Only Motivator?
Yes, everybody works to earn a living and save for retirement, but salary can only take you to a certain extent in life. Making a higher salary the only aim results in a tunnel vision, blocking your horizon from finding a deeper meaning in a job and perceiving it objectively. Hence, no matter how much you earn, in the long run, it’ll be your passion that will keep you content and not the paycheque. Therefore, a higher income doesn’t always help people grow professionally.
To help broaden your perspective during a job search, you can try looking for:
A good office environment
Healthy quality of life
Successful compatibility with the manager/boss
Any available growth opportunities
Do I Look At The Organisation’s End Goals and Objectives or Just My Own?
If you’re only fixated on your own bubble, then it’s time you burst that bubble and look at the bigger picture, so you don't have to recover from career mistakes in the future.
When you’re fixated on your goals, you're unable to add to the organization's growth. Not being able to contribute to the company's agenda may cause you to attract negative energy from higher authorities, potentially harming your career.
Next time,
Take a moment and think whether your contributions are concerned with self-interest alone or are they accounting for the organization's interest.
Consequently, map out the organization’s goals and objectives and walk along that path.
Am I building a network around me?
Building a strong network and forming meaningful connections are imperative in anyone's career. This can help in getting valuable feedback, advice, and possible referrals.
Having a network of champions plays a big role in guiding you to understand which career mistakes to avoid. When you run into a problem at work, this 'network' who have been in the same position and industry as you before can assist you in finding a solution. Some may argue that family and friends can assist too, but only similar professionals come in handy concerning this particular sphere of problems. A strong network will also help you be aware of the latest job opportunities.
Am I Able To Say NO ?
While it's preferable to stay in everyone's good books at work, saying no for your own sake is an important aspect of self-development. If you cannot say no and set boundaries, then your boss and colleagues may seek this as an opportunity to pile up more work on you; eventually, resulting in early burnout.
Although you are advised to take on more responsibility for advancing your career, that doesn't imply you should take all the responsibilities on your shoulders. You should be able to differentiate when your contribution will help the organization and when your contribution will simply help someone else finish their tasks.
You can achieve a boundary by:
Taking on the right responsibilities – the one that will do you good and upscale your value.
Taking those tasks will create significant value for the company and offer you your due credit.
Taking tasks that not only give you credit but can also be the driving force behind your promotion.
Saying NO in a respectable manner, earning others more respect in return.
The most common mistakes that we see people make in their careers are not taking the right steps to find the best fit for them. We've seen this over and over again with people who have worked for employers who were a bad fit, or jobs that were just not as fulfilling as they thought they would be. Many of these people didn't realize that until it was too late and found themselves in a career rut, where there was no clear path forward. You can avoid making these same mistakes by doing your research on the industry you want to work in before you even start looking for jobs!